69. To
impress the other monks and nuns and disrupt the Sangha, Devadatta
asked the Buddha to make stricter rules of conduct for the
Sangha. He asked that monks not be allowed to sleep in houses
or eat any meat. But the Buddha refused Devadatta's proposal.
He said: "If some monks prefer to sleep in the open or
not eat meat, they are free to do so. But if they do not wish
to live this way they do not have to." Finally, the Buddha
said: "Devadatta, if you try to break up the Sangha you
will reap the evil fruits."